Two Virginia school districts sue US Education Department over transgender policies
In a bold legal move that could shape the national debate on transgender rights in schools, two Virginia school districts, Arlington and Fairfax counties, filed lawsuits against the U.S. Department of Education on Friday, seeking to block the federal agency from freezing millions in funding over policies that allow students to use bathrooms and other facilities consistent with their gender identity. The lawsuits come after the Education Department said such policies violate federal law prohibiting sex-based discrimination. The department had urged the districts, along with three others in the D.C. suburbs, to rescind their policies or risk losing access to crucial federal dollars. Both districts refused, arguing that their policies comply with the law and provide a safe, welcoming environment for all students, according to The Washington Post. The stakes for students are high “Students are punished when federal funding, primarily used to provide free breakfast and lunch for over 8,000 students or counseling and education for special needs students, is ripped away,” Arlington Public Schools Superintendent Francisco Durán said in a statement, according to The Washington Post. “We strongly disagree with the U.S. DOE’s assertion that our policy violates Title IX.” Education Secretary Linda McMahon responded sharply on social media, writing on X, “It’s disturbing that these Virginia school division leaders are fighting harder to keep boys in girls sports and bathrooms than they are to improve outcomes for students. The Trump Administration will proudly stand for commonsense and protect our young girls.” Investigations and complaints The federal agency began investigating the five Northern Virginia districts, including Alexandria, Loudoun, and Prince William counties—after a complaint by America First Legal, a conservative group founded by White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller. The complaint alleged that districts were providing “greater rights to students whose ‘gender identity’ does not match their biological sex than it does to students whose ‘gender identity’ matches their biological sex,” according to The Washington Post. While no federal funds have yet been withheld, officials warn that the “high-risk” designation imposed by the Education Department could jeopardize up to $167 million for Fairfax, the state’s largest district, and $23 million for Arlington. The funding supports programs ranging from counseling and academics to free and reduced meals for students. Legal battleground: Title IX Legal experts say the fight centers on the interpretation of Title IX, the landmark federal law that bars discrimination based on sex in federally funded schools. Courts have split on whether the law protects transgender students, though LGBTQ+ advocates argue that failing to do so constitutes sex-based discrimination. The 4th Circuit Court ruling in Grimm v. Gloucester County School Board is often cited in support of policies allowing transgender students to access facilities that match their gender identity, The Washington Post reports. Trump administration pressures districts Under the Trump administration, the U.S. Department of Education has repeatedly pressed districts to rescind such policies, framing them as examples of “gender ideology” that threaten the rights of girls. Some districts nationwide, including Maine, California, and Denver, have resisted, leading to ongoing litigation, according to The Washington Post. Northern Virginia districts stand firm In Northern Virginia, where liberal districts serve roughly a third of the state’s public school students, local officials have doubled down on policies they say comply with both state and federal law. Revoking them, the school boards argue, would put them in legal jeopardy. “We have a responsibility to ensure that every child has the support needed to achieve their full, unique, and limitless potential,” the Fairfax County School Board said in a statement reported by The Washington Post. “We will not abide attempts to pit one group of students against another.” Supreme Court looming The Supreme Court is expected to hear a case involving transgender athletes in federally funded schools this fall, a decision that could ultimately determine the fate of policies like those in Northern Virginia. For now, the legal battle underscores the tension between federal authority, local control, and the rights of transgender students — a fight playing out in school hallways, courtrooms, and public debate alike. Courtesy : TOI Note: This news is originally published on https:/timesofindia.com/bha and is used purely for non-profit/non-commercial purposes, especially human rights.
25 years on, 2 get life term for shooting dead Dalit vendor over 2kg onions
AGRA: A special SC/ST court in Firozabad has sentenced two men to life in jail for shooting dead a 24-year-old Dalit man in the middle of a busy marketplace in 2000, after the latter asked for money for 2 kg of onions from the buyers. On Sept 14 that year, Lillu alias Riyazuddin and Kalam along with their aides were initially involved in a heated argument with Rakesh Kumar, a vegetable vendor, in Firozabad’s Nagla Bari area. Lillu, who fired upon Kumar, was 23 years old at that time. Kalam was 22. ADGC (crime) Narendra Singh Solaki said once the victim asked for money, the accused got into an ugly spat and then all of a sudden, Lillu took out a pistol and shot at Kumar, who died on the spot. And all of them fled. An FIR was registered the same day under IPC section 302 (murder) along with the SC/ST Act on a complaint by Kumar’s brother, Mukesh Kumar. Four men — Lillu, Kalam, Ikrar and Bobby alias Parvez — were arrested, and the cops also found the weapon used by Lillu to kill Kumar. The chargesheet was filed on April 19, 2008. During trial proceedings, Parvez and Ikrar died, while Lillu and Kalam got bail before they were sent back to prison last year. On bail, Lillu started working as a daily-wager in Delhi-NCR and remained there during the Covid-19 lockdown. In his plea, Lillu said that it was his first crime, and he was the family’s sole breadwinner and had health issues. He also cited his wife’s ill health and his daughter’s marriage. Kalam, in his defence, also put forward a similar plea. The court considered at least six witnesses in the case and technical evidence, including the postmortem report and other documents. Rejecting their leniency plea, judge Navneet Kumar Giri of the special SC/ST Act court found Lillu and Kalam guilty, and delivered the verdict on Friday evening along with fine of Rs 50,000 on each of the convicts. Courtesy : TOI Note: This news is originally published on https:/timesofindia.com/bha and is used purely for non-profit/non-commercial purposes, especially human rights.
Attack on Dalit woman and daughters in Pratapgarh: Bullies beat them up in land dispute, police present on the spot did not help
Land dispute took a violent turn in Antu police station area of Pratapgarh. Dalit woman Manju Devi and her three minor daughters were attacked by bullies on Thursday evening in Gram Sabha Para Hamidpur. The incident took place when Manju Devi was cutting grass on the boundary of her field. Beat with sticks started Krishnakant Pandey, Ketan Pandey and others reached there. They started beating the woman with sticks, claiming their right over the land. Manju Devi suffered serious head injuries and fell on the ground. When her daughters Muskan (16), Mansi (14) and Reshma (15) came to save their mother, the bullies did not spare them either. The girls were pulled down by their hair and beaten up. One girl has suffered serious chest injuries. Dial 112 police was present at the spot, but did not take any action. With the help of villagers, the victims were rescued and taken to the district hospital by ambulance. Due to the absence of NCR in the hospital, the doctors refused to treat them. Allegation of the victim’s family Instead of registering the complaint of the victims, the police filed a case against them. The victim’s family alleges that the Antu police station and the area in-charge are in cahoots with the bullies. Earlier also, many fake cases have been registered against the family. This entire incident has once again raised questions on the working of the police. While the woman and girls were beaten in the presence of Dial 112 police, the doctors of the district hospital are also not ready to treat without police NCR. Saket Kumar Mishra Courtesy: Hindi News
Dalit youth beaten for touching milk can: Hit on head with axe in Bindki, victim reached police station covered in blood
A case of untouchability has come to light in Kalyanpur police station area of Bindki in Fatehpur district. In Badauri village, a Dalit youth was first abused for touching a milk can. When he protested, he was beaten up badly. The incident is from Badauri village, where Sujit Raidas had gone to his neighbour Himanshu’s dairy operator to get milk. The dairy operator refused to let him touch the milk can. When Sujit touched the can, Himanshu abused him. When he protested against the abuse, the dairy operator called his friends Sandeep, Alok, Roshan, Ashish and Amit. All of them together beat up Sujit. The victim alleges that the dairy operator hit him on the head with an axe, due to which he fell down. The accused also threatened to kill him. Sujit, covered in blood, reached Kalyanpur police station with his family. Police station in-charge Shailesh Singh said that the victim has been medically examined. After receiving the complaint, an investigation will be conducted and a report will be filed and further action will be taken. Alok Kumar Courtesy : Hindi News
BJP workers burn effigies of Rahul, Tejashwi at Bagaha
Bettiah: A large number of BJP workers, led by party’s district president Achintya Lalla and BJP MLA Ram Singh, on Saturday held a protest at Bagaha against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and leader of opposition in state assembly Tejashwi Prasad Yadav for alleged derogatory remarks against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his late mother in Darbhanga. They raised slogans against them and burnt their effigies. BJP MLA from Bagaha, Ram Singh, said the leaders of Grand Alliance who are promising to bring ‘Mai Bahin Maan Yojana’ for women of Bihar are abusing the PM’s mother. Will they respect women? Crores of women of the country have been insulted by their remarks,” he said. BJP district president, Achintya Lalla, said Rahul feels that he will only rule the country. “He is unable to see a poor man’s son as the Prime Minister.” Courtesy : TOI Note: This news is originally published on https:/timesofindia.com/bha and is used purely for non-profit/non-commercial purposes, especially human rights.
TMC’s Yusuf, Lalitesh to attend Rahul’s ‘Vote Adhikar Yatra’
Kolkata: Trinamool Congress MP and cricketer Yusuf Pathan will participate in the INDIA bloc rally in Patna as part of Rahul Gandhi and Tejashwi Yadav-led ‘Vote Adhikar Yatra’. Lalitesh Tripathi, a national working committee member of Trinamool, will also be at the rally. TOI had reported earlier that Trinamool’s national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee would not be attending the rally owing to prior commitments in Bengal. At the time, Trinamool had indicated that it would be sending other senior members to the rally. Trinamool has been vocal against the special intensive revision (SIR) of voter rolls in Bihar. Gandhi and Yadav’s ‘Vote Adhikar Yatra’ in protest against the deletion of names from Bihar’s electoral rolls has seen participation from Tamil Nadu CM MK Stalin, Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren and Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav. The 16-day yatra, which started on Aug 17 in Bihar’s Sasaram will culminate in Patna on Sept 1, after traversing 1,300 kilometres acrss 23 districts in the poll-bound state. Elaborating on their decision to send Pathan and Tripathi to the Yatra, Trinamool seniors said unlike DMK, JMM and SP, Trinamool isn’t an electoral ally of Congress. In choosing Pathan and Tripathi, party seniors said they had tried to project members who had a connection with people in Bihar. Pathan, as a cricketer, is well-known across the country. Tripathi, son of former UP CM Kamalnath Tripathi, is a known face in Bihar. Courtesy : TOI Note: This news is originally published on https:/timesofindia.com/bha and is used purely for non-profit/non-commercial purposes, especially human rights.
Gangrape of a minor Dalit girl in BKT area of Lucknow
Lucknow. An incident of gangrape of a minor Dalit girl has come to light in BKT area of Lucknow in Uttar Pradesh. The girl’s father has lodged a complaint in BKT police station. On the basis of which the police have registered a case against four people including two named accused and arrested two accused and are searching for the others. According to the girl’s father, he is a resident of Bakshi Ka Talab. His 16-year-old daughter was going from her old house to the new house on Thursday night at around 8:30 pm. On the way, two youths forcibly caught her at a deserted place, gagged her and made her sit on a motorcycle. After this, they took her towards the forest. After that two other youths reached the forest. All four of them gangraped the girl. When she protested, they beat her badly. They tried to kill her by strangulating her. After that they made her sit on the bike and started taking her to some other place. Then the boy shouted and on hearing the voice, the villagers gathered at the spot. The villagers caught a young man. The teenager told the people about her ordeal. On this, the villagers complained to the police control room. On receiving the information, the police took the young man into custody. He was taken to the police station and questioned. On his basis, one of his associates was also arrested. Both the accused were identified as Shiva Singh and Raj. While the teenager could not identify the other two accused. Police Inspector BKT said that on the basis of the complaint of the girl’s father, a case has been registered against Shiva Singh, Raj and two unknown persons under the SC/ST Act, POCSO, assault and gang rape sections. The police team is raiding in search of other accused. Courtesy: Hindi News
“Find my dog or else lose your job…”: Tribal constable on duty at Reserve Inspector’s bungalow in Madhya Pradesh, brutally beaten up when dog goes missing!
Casteism in police force in MP: The victim, appointed on compassionate grounds, alleges that he was forced to do personal work including babysitting and looking after the dog at the Reserve Inspector’s bungalow despite his repeated refusals. Khargone – A shocking case has come to light in Khargone district of Madhya Pradesh, in which a tribal constable has accused the Reserve Inspector i.e. Senior Reserve Inspector (RI) of brutally beating him after his pet dog went missing. The complaint, given in writing on August 26, has made serious allegations of abuse of power and caste discrimination within the police force that point to mistreatment of lower level employees, especially those from marginalized communities. Rahul Chauhan, a resident of Khargone, is working as a constable in the District Reserve Police (DRP) line. Chauhan, who belongs to the Scheduled Tribe (ST) community and is appointed on compassionate grounds, claims that he was forced to do personal work at the Reserve Inspector’s bungalow, which included looking after a child and a dog, despite his repeated refusals. Sharing a video of Chauhan in the case, former MP and former Union Minister Arun Subhashchandra Yadav said, “Will police constables in MP now look after children and dogs at their bungalows? If the dog goes missing, the constable will be brutally beaten up? The case is from Khargone where Rahul Chauhan of the tribal community, who was posted at RI Saurabh’s bungalow, was beaten with a belt and abused with casteist slurs just because his dog went missing. DGP sir should take cognizance of this matter and immediately suspend the accused and register an FIR. This is not just an attack on Rahul Chauhan, but an insult to the entire tribal community.” According to the complaint, this harassment started on August 8. Chauhan alleges that Reserve Inspector Saurabh Kushwaha assigned him “bungalow duty,” which included tasks such as looking after the officer’s child and pet dog, which were completely unrelated to his official police responsibilities. Matters came to a head on the night of August 23. Chauhan said he was on duty at the bungalow that day and left for home after informing the Reserve Inspector and locking the main gate around 10:00 pm. But around 1:20 am, he saw the Reserve Inspector’s car approaching his house, accompanied by Kushwaha, a subedar, driver Kishan, ‘stick man’ Rakesh and constable Lucky Barde. Chauhan says the Reserve Inspector snatched his mobile phone, forcibly made him sit in the car and drove to the bungalow. There, other staff were sent outside the main gate, and Chauhan was taken to a back room, where Kushwaha allegedly beat him brutally with a belt. “He kept asking me repeatedly where the dog was and kept hitting me without listening to me,” Chauhan elaborated in his complaint. After the beating, Chauhan was taken to Khargone district hospital by assistant sub-inspector (ASI) Lakhan Mehar, Subedar Dipendra Survankar, constable Badal, head constable Chhagan Kushwah and driver Kishan. But he claims the medical examination was limited to alcohol consumption, and the injuries on his body were not examined. “I was not allowed to talk to the doctor properly.” After the hospital, Chauhan was again taken to the bungalow. There, the reserved inspector’s wife allegedly insulted him, called him a “low caste adivasi” and threatened to hit him with a slipper. She allegedly said, “Find my dog or else I will end your job. Keep your policemanship aside, your aukaat is worth nothing.” Around 4:00 am, Chauhan was dropped home by quarter guard in-charge ASI Lakhan Mehar and sentry Chetan Jat in Mehar’s car. The next morning on August 24, Chauhan reached DRP line around 10:40 am. Soon after, the Reserve Inspector came there and took him to his chamber, where he allegedly misbehaved with Chauhan and levelled false allegations against him. Later, Chauhan was again called to the bungalow, where he was beaten and abused even in front of his wife. The helpless couple promised that they would somehow find the dog and give it to him. Only after this, Chauhan’s mobile phone was returned. Chauhan stressed in his complaint that he had refused bungalow duty earlier too, but he was pressurised and forced to do household chores, looking after the dog and looking after the child. Now the Reserve Inspector and his wife are allegedly threatening to dismiss him if he complains, saying “go to whoever you want, you can’t do anything to me”. A Subedar too reiterated the same thing saying that nothing will happen if he complains. On August 26, Chauhan personally went to the Superintendent of Police’s office. He says the SP dismissed his complaint and said, “You were drunk; write an apology letter and apologise. If you apologise, I will not take any action against you.” Seeking justice, Chauhan said “Being an ST person and a recipient of compassionate appointment, I have been exploited and insulted”. The Reserve Inspector has sought registration of a case under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989 against Saurabh Kushwaha and his wife alleging caste-based insult and physical assault. Copies of the complaint addressed to the Superintendent of Police (SP) Khargone have been sent to the Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG) of Nimar Range, Inspector General of Police (IG) of Indore Rural Zone, Director General of Police (DGP) in Bhopal, Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh and National Commission for Scheduled Tribes in New Delhi. Geetha Sunil Pillai Courtesy : Hindi News
Occupation of tribal land and illegal mining in Wayanad’s Vengappally! Serious allegations of Panchayat-Administration collusion
Tribal families of Vengappally allege that mine owners fraudulently grabbed land, illegal mining flourished with the collusion of Panchayat and Administration. Kalpetta/Kerala: Tribal families in ward number 6 of Vengappally Panchayat have alleged that mining work is being done by illegally occupying their ancestral land. Allegations of collusion of district administration and Panchayat officials have also surfaced in this matter. People of Karimbalan community, who have been living on this land for a long time, say that mining mafias have grabbed their land. In this regard, they have submitted a formal complaint to Wayanad District Collector D.R. Meghasri. District President of Karimbalan Protection Council A. C. Sivasankaran and M. Santhakumari, president of Bhumika Charitable Society, have alleged that the three mine owners are colluding with each other to promote their business by occupying the land of the tribals. This mine is very close to the settlement where about 20 tribal families live. These people depend on agriculture and animal husbandry for their livelihood, but mining activities have disrupted their daily lives. Community members say that the mine owners fraudulently made them sign some documents. They were deceived that this would help in agricultural work and purchase of cattle. In some cases, they were also promised alternative land. The families also allege that the mine owners falsely claimed to have received approval from the District Collector. Not only this, the ruling council of Vengappally Panchayat is also accused of keeping silent even after seeing the violation of rules and promoting mining. Now the tribal community is preparing to take this issue further. They have said that they will take their complaint to the Chief Minister, Scheduled Tribe Commission and Human Rights Commission. The community has demanded strict action against all those involved in this land occupation. The petition also said that the District Collector should intervene and get compensation for the loss suffered by the tribal families. Also, a detailed investigation should be done of all the mining activities going on in the Vengappally Panchayat area so that the truth can come out. Rajan Chaudhary Courtesy : Hindi News
TM Ground Report: Life woven with bamboo baskets, hopes shattered in Motihari’s Dom Basti, life spent in untouchability and poverty!
The Dom community in Bihar comes under the Mahadalit category and their population is less than 0.2 percent of the state’s total population. This community is spread in both urban and rural parts of the state. Traditionally, they have been associated with professions like bamboo work, basket-branch making, cremation and cleaning. Motihari. As soon as you step into a narrow street of the city, you see rows of huts and tarpaulin-covered houses in front. Dom Basti is settled here, a community whose identity is bamboo and its products. This has been their profession for generations. Here someone is peeling bamboo, or someone has an incomplete basket in his hand, but their life is also like these baskets, broken from somewhere, incomplete from somewhere, and full of daily difficulties. Children who go to schools outside the settlement say that even today they are made to sit in a separate line (away from children of other castes). An 11-year-old student, while talking to The Mooknayak representative, said, “Madam says you people should sit separately, you are Doms…” On hearing these words, the elders of the settlement become silent, because this is the same old pain that they have been suffering for generations. Talks of social justice happen on paper, but these children have not been affected by it. Bamboo business is now an employment crisis The Dom community has been identified with the bamboo business. From weddings to festivals, bamboo branches, baskets and winnowing baskets were considered essential everywhere. But plastic and machine-made goods have taken away their market. Sitting outside the slum hut of the settlement, Rajkumari was weaving baskets with her hands, she tells The Mooknayak, “A few years ago, I used to easily earn 500-600 rupees a week, now I am not able to earn even 50-60 rupees in a day.” Lines of worry are clearly visible on her face. She says that earlier there was a demand for bamboo products in villages and cities, from weddings to everyday needs, but now this work is slowly coming to an end. Rajkumari further says, “Hands get bruised and bleed while cutting bamboo from morning to evening. Still, there is no value for hard work. Earlier people used to praise us while buying baskets and baskets made by us, now the same people buy cheap plastic or factory made products. Our sweat, our art, everything has gone to waste.” It is clear from her words that this is not just a crisis of employment, but also the pain of their identity being erased from generations. Rajkumari adds, “The situation is getting worse day by day. It is difficult to feed oneself, let alone educate the children. If our hard work was paid for, perhaps we could have lived with dignity. But now it seems as if we have been abandoned. Governments just make promises, but all we get is poverty and untouchability.” The people here believe that the bamboo work is slowly ending, and with it their livelihood. Many people now work as sanitation workers in the municipal corporation, but even there they do not get proper recognition for their hard work. She said, “The salary is stuck for months, and even if we get it, it is so less that it is difficult to run the family,” We spoke to a sanitation worker passing by in the sun with a broom tied to his bicycle. He told us his name was Ranjan. There was sweat on his forehead and fatigue on his face. Ranjan said, “We start working at four in the morning. We have to clean the garbage of the city, but we get only Rs. 13,000 per month as salary, it is difficult to run the family with such a low salary. Sometimes the salary is stuck for months.” He further said, “We keep the city clean, but people call us dirty. Forget about respect, we are looked at with hatred. Children ask me, Papa, why do people consider us low? But I don’t have an answer. I just think that maybe someday the situation will change.” The grip of poverty along with illiteracy For this community living in huts, it is a big challenge to arrange two meals a day. When it is difficult to feed the family, how will it be possible to educate the children? Although some children reach school, discrimination and poverty together make them leave their studies incomplete. A woman, Savitri Devi, says, “Even if we want, we are unable to provide books and notebooks to the children. Many times, children leave school and start cutting bamboo and making branches.” Poor health facilities The health situation in the colony is very worrying. If a small child falls ill, it becomes a problem for the family. The mismanagement of government hospitals is not hidden from anyone, and when it comes to the poor and uneducated class, the situation becomes even more delicate. But even there, they have to face neglect. A woman from the colony said, “If our people go to the doctor, they tell them to take government medicines, they do not pay much attention,” The health of children growing up in poor food and filth is always in danger. Malnutrition is clearly visible in many homes. But the people of the Dom community, who live under compulsion, are bearing it. Life is being spent in huts and tarpaulins Most of the houses in the colony are hut-like, some other castes have houses but they are concrete houses. Most of the families of the Dom community live in tarpaulins and huts. As soon as the rains come, these houses start leaking. Sapna Devi of the colony points towards her house while talking to The Mooknayak. The walls of her house are covered with tin, bamboo and tarpaulin. She says, “Our house is kutcha and hut-like. When it rains, it feels as if we are sitting outside.” The rainy season is the biggest fear for them, because half of the household items get